Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 20
  2. Negative: 0 out of 20
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Q Magazine
    Oct 3, 2014
    60
    Ultimately, A New Testament is for converts only. [Nov 2014, p.115]
  2. 60
    Moments when his former wretchedness is recognisable rescue the album.
  3. Sep 26, 2014
    60
    Lysandre, while far from being reviled, received only a moderately positive response, one that was tainted with apprehension and frustration at its lack of ambition. A New Testament is even less ambitious, yet still enjoyable.
  4. Sep 26, 2014
    60
    Whilst a fun record, there’s only one issue remains, the fact that it’s often hard to connect with something so unabashedly honest.
  5. Sep 25, 2014
    60
    They’re perfectly produced but less captivating than the moments of emotional specificity.
  6. Mojo
    Sep 23, 2014
    60
    Sweet, but not quite satisfying. [Oct 2014, p.90]
  7. 60
    It’s hugely to Owens’ credit that he’s turned his hand at a slew of different styles in assured fashion to date, but neither this album nor Lysandre really hold the universal pop appeal of Girls’ output, either.
  8. Nov 20, 2014
    50
    Without the flair for the unexpected that Owens made his reputation with, A New Testament feels like a counter intuitive statement for a songwriter whose known for having such a distinctive personality.
  9. Sep 30, 2014
    50
    For all its talk of hearts and affection, A New Testament barely has a pulse.
  10. Sep 29, 2014
    50
    It seems like he missed an opportunity here to really put his well-earned gravitas into a genre that would be ripe for it. That the rather mundane and conservative A New Testament is the end result of his country explorations is a bit of a shame.
  11. Uncut
    Sep 23, 2014
    40
    Owens has never been afraid to comet to terms with his troubled past, but here those stories are slathered in such cliched schmaltz that it's hard to empathise. [Oct 2014, p.76]
  12. Sep 23, 2014
    40
    This isn't so much a bad record as a boring one. [Sep/Oct 2014, p.78]

There are no user reviews yet.